


A Dream, So to Speak

by Scriberat



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Fluff and Crack, M/M, One Shot, i may end up developing this further, now that magi has ended it's time for things to spiral out of control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-09 23:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12286836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriberat/pseuds/Scriberat
Summary: Yunan has been a wanderer all his life, but he doesn't stick around for long. He dislikes crowds, and bright places, preferring to be on his own in dim places where he can get enough information to keep himself in the loop --- like his home, the Great Rift, of which he is a guardian.Koumei has been a shut-in all his life, but he doesn't laze around for long. He dislikes crowds, and bright places, preferring to be on his own in dim places where he can get enough information to keep himself in the loop --- like his home, the Palace of the Kou Empire, of which he is a Prince.These two are so similar, yet their habits and living spaces are so far apart. What if, somehow, they came to know each other?





	A Dream, So to Speak

The plains were a lovely shade of green that summer. Yunan smiled at the sight, happy to see such life and vitality. Even if the Kou Empire, which now ruled these lands, seemed to Sinbad to be a horrible monstrosity, the lands were well taken care of. Yunan considered walking all the way to where he wanted to go, but decided against it. It was a long way, after all. Although…

 

A trade caravan was trundling along the road below him, its covered back undoubtedly containing at least one barrel he could crawl into. Yunan ran toward it, keeping himself out of sight. Even if it wasn’t the _best_ way to get around, it was still effective in getting him to where he needed to go. As long as there weren’t any obnoxious kids this time to tug on his braid.

 

Yunan timed his jump into the cart with a rock that it was about to run over. He landed silently on the back, slipping past the curtain and finding a nice barrel to hop into for the long ride. They were all marked with the seal of the Kou Empire, that character for fire, if he remembered correctly. Settling himself into a barrel of pears, Yunan awaited the time when he would reach the destination the Rukh had set for him.

 

It was their will which guided him to the Kou Empire in the first place, and now beckoned him deeper.

 

 

 

Yunan had to admit, the use of transportation magic was new to him. He had seen Dantalion’s power before, when one of his former King’s Candidates had gone against her capturer in a duel. But to experience the strange sensation of being thrown from one place to another, like his stomach was going to turn inside out, was certainly something else. Yunan nearly fell out of his barrel from the sickness plaguing him.

 

Was it this way for everyone? He poked his head out cautiously, just a bit, and looked around at the guards of the cargo. Not a single one of them was experiencing any sort of ill effects. Even looking at their Rukh told Yunan they were all perfectly okay. He grimaced. It figured that this mode of travel, of all things, was the one he couldn’t handle.

 

The barrels were loaded up onto another cart, and then the cart started moving. Yunan was used to this, as entire crates and barrels were purchased by different companies to get flipped in different markets. He had accidentally made it all the way from the Reim Empire to Magnostadt by doing that, back when it was Musta’sim.

 

Yunan could hear the hustle and bustle of a busy city, and dared to peek out to see what was going on. Lots of people, all dressed in the same green clothes, were going about their business, doing jobs and buying things, as people always do. There was something different about it, though. It was different from Sindria, where the people smiled because they were happy to live somewhere without strife. Yunan supposed it was because these people felt invincible, or something to that effect.

 

He didn’t think investigating the point was a part of his ultimate reason to come to the Kou Empire. He slid back down into his barrel.

 

The cart eventually stopped its movements, and things were checked out. Barrels were open, but Yunan had learned. He shoved the contents of the barrel, sweet fruit, over his head, and kept the non-green parts of his hat from showing through. Hopefully, his attempted camouflage would be enough.

 

It proved effective. The guard opened his barrel, looked inside, and didn’t investigate too closely. Yunan smiled to himself. He had made it. The Rukh were telling him that he was close to his goal, now, and that meant that this journey that Sinbad would absolutely hate him for (not that he didn’t already) was nearly over.

 

Possibly.

 

In all honesty, Yunan wasn’t sure if his journey was over, or if he was simply completing the first of many steps. He jumped out of the barrel, summoning and hopping onto his staff as he did so. Catching the lid as his staff settled in the air, Yunan made a quiet escape, following the Rukh through a large building.

 

It was about the size of a palace. Yunan didn’t know enough about the Kou Empire to know if this was normal, if they adjusted the palaces and castles of the places they took over. Regardless, he was pretty deep in. If he had to guess, he would have to say that this place was ---

 

“Rakushou. Yes, they just came back. There’s no need to worry, my brother and King. Everyone reported has arrived safely. We also got a shipment of sweet fruit from Balbadd. Would you like me to send some for a morale boost?”

 

 _Who is he talking to?_ Yunan wondered, hiding behind a corner near the ceiling as the speaker rounded it. From his vantage point, Yunan could see a prominent nose that was at least not flat in color, as well as a _lot_ of red hair. There was probably almost as much hair on this person’s head as there was on Yunan’s. The Rukh swirled around him, glittering vaguely in pink. Yunan cocked his head to one side. What was so special about this particular person for the Rukh to act this way?

 

“Yes. There was a barrel of pears. Something was reported to be inside it, but that has since been cleared up. False alarm, apparently. I’ve already ordered the guard to be disciplined.”

 

Ah, so Yunan _was_ spotted. He drifted along after the speaker, curious as to his nature.

 

“What!? I do not work too hard! … Um…” The man scratched the back of his head, looking up at the ceiling as he did so. Yunan stayed perfectly still. As long as he didn’t move, this guy, whose head was clearly off in the clouds, wouldn’t notice him. Hopefully.

 

“I think a couple days ago? … Because it takes too much time out of my day…” The man sighed, clearly having a conversation, though Yunan wasn’t sure how, then continued speaking. “I’ve made a battle plan for your next campaign. It should be fairly easy. I’ll send it to you now, if you’d like… What?”

 

His face fell. Yunan wanted to know what he was talking about, but it would kind of ruin his sneaking thing that he had going on if he asked. Also, it felt like it’d be rude, and this guy wasn’t Sinbad.

 

“It can’t wait that long, I need to get this to you now… I don’t need a bath, brother. Really.”

 

A… bath? That sounded nice. It had been awhile since Yunan had had any sort of fancy bath. Since he was avoiding the world, it hadn’t happened once this lifetime. And this guy was just going to dodge it?

 

“Fine, fine. I hear you. I’m going.” The man turned on his heel and stalked off away from Yunan. Yunan, of course, followed dutifully, ever ready to follow the Rukh’s guidance. They turned down one hallway after another. At one point, the man stopped a servant in the hall and told her to draw a bath for him.

 

“Right away, Prince Koumei,” she said, running off to do his bidding. So, his name was Koumei. Yunan nodded to himself. He had to admit, it was a pretty name. Koumei walked quickly into a library, which was blissfully dark. Yunan stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing in the woody smell of books. Soon, Koumei had another servant running with some scrolls toward some location or other. Koumei himself left the library, prompting Yunan’s leave of what was consistently his favorite place in any palace.

 

More hallways passed as Koumei meandered along until a servant told him that his bath was ready. He nodded, and continued on his way, entering a room at the end of his journey. Yunan didn’t make it in before the door closed. He pursed his lips, considering how he could get in, then decided to use just a little magic to open the door silently, just enough for him to get in without trouble.

 

It worked. Yunan slipped inside, still high in the air and on his staff. He drifted down to the ground.

 

“Hello,” Yunan said. Koumei spun around, accidentally flinging off his outer robe. He didn’t even spare it a glance as he glared at the intruder.

 

“Who are you!?” he demanded.

 

“My name is Yunan, Guardian of the Great Rift. You’re Prince Koumei, yes?”

 

“Yes, I am. If you’re the Guardian of the Great Rift, then that means you’re the wandering Magi, yes?” Koumei calmed down considerably. It was still entirely possible that this man meant to kill him, but if the most reclusive Magi in history was here, then there was certainly a reason for it. Yunan smiled reassuringly.

 

“That’s right. I chose Sinbad as my King’s Candidate some time ago.”

 

“Ah, right. The King of Sindria,” Koumei said. Then, he bowed his head, raising his hands in the clamped fist salute of the Kou Empire. “What brings you here, Magi of the Great Rift?”

 

“The Rukh guided me to you. I’m not sure why, but...” Yunan eyed the bath. It was so tantalizingly warm. He hadn’t quite figured out how to add heat to his alchemical magic yet. He would at some point, but for now, the best he could do was lukewarm water.

 

Koumei followed his gaze, then glanced back at Yunan, looking him up and down.

 

“Would you like to take a bath? It would be improper of me to deny you the chance.”

 

“I would, but...” Yunan thought back to what Koumei had been saying before, about his older brother demanding that he take one. “But… only if you take it with me.” Koumei sputtered in shock.

 

“Wh-wh---”

 

“Your brother said you needed one, right? And this was drawn for you. It would be as rude of me to deny you what’s rightfully yours as it would be to deny me the chance,” Yunan said, taking his hat off and hanging it on his staff. He undid the sash at his waist, dropping it on the floor, along with his coat and tunic.

 

Koumei tried not to stare. He really did. But the Magi’s creamy white lithe body was a wondrous sight. Yunan looked at him, causing Koumei to look away hurriedly and pull his waist skirt off roughly. After stripping as quickly as possible, Koumei practically launched himself at the bathtub.

 

He kept himself turned toward the wall resolutely, though his ears certainly didn’t have any intention of helping. Yunan’s footsteps were soft on the wooden floor, and even his entrance into the water bespoke someone who hardly ever intruded anywhere.

 

“Hardly” being the operative word.

 

A sigh reached Koumei’s ears, and he realized that Yunan had sunk into the water and was breathing a in relief at the sensation.

 

“It’s been so long since I’ve had a bath this warm,” Yunan said, leaning back and relaxing. Koumei chanced a look at him. The water covered most of his body, and it was easier to focus on his face.

 

The Magi’s eyes were blue, and reflected a wisdom that belied his body. Koumei found himself entranced by those eyes, wondering what it was that the Magi knew, and knowing that it wasn’t something _for_ him to know. When Yunan’s eyes closed, his lashes brushed against his soft-looking cheeks.

 

Koumei looked away before he observed further, but even if he had only had time to process so little, the image of Yunan’s face was burned into his memory. A slender nose over pale pink lips, skin so white it was as if the moon had come to rest upon him.

 

“May I wash your hair?” Yunan asked. Koumei started, and turned to look at him. The heat of the bath was bringing blood to the surface of Yunan’s face. It was the only logical explanation for the light blush that now graced his cheeks.

 

“Uh, sure,” Koumei said, faltering. He angled himself so Yunan could reach his hair more easily. Yunan pulled gently on his shoulders, tugging Koumei down toward the surface, then tilted his head up so his hair would get completely wet. Slender fingers that were more calloused than Koumei would have thought brushed over his face, moving his bangs back so they would get washed, too.

 

Koumei’s eyes fluttered closed at the sensation, opening slightly after and staring at the ceiling. He felt the contents of a bottle splashing into his hair.

 

“Whoops. That came out faster than intended,” Yunan muttered. Koumei tried to muster a response, but his tongue was heavy. He was getting tired, laying out like this. Thankfully, Yunan chose that moment to push him back up out of the water.

 

“Don’t waste too much. My little brother won’t like it if his proper bath ritual has to be delayed because one of the products went missing,” Koumei said. The last time it had happened, Koumei and Kouen had managed to stop Kouha from killing more than two people, but there was still more of a mess to clean up than the dirt from his trip back.

 

“I’ll do my best.” Yunan’s fingers went to work, pulling the shampoo through Koumei’s thick hair, tousling the sprigs that crowned his head and become drowned under the sheer weight of the hair he usually pulled back.

 

Once his head was covered in soapy suds, Yunan gently brought Koumei to the water’s surface again, sending the water over his hair, careful that no water ended up in his face.

 

“Is there anything else to use for your hair? It doesn’t quite seem clean,” Yunan said.

 

“It usually takes two attempts to wash it completely.” With that in mind, Yunan repeated the process again. His fingers worked their way deeper into Koumei’s hair, in an attempt to get absolutely every inch of every follicle completely covered in shampoo. He rinsed it out the same way, then sat Koumei up again and started massaging the prince’s shoulders.

 

“Ah, you don’t have to---” Koumei’s sentence was cut off by a low moan, as Yunan hit a sensitive spot with just enough pressure to alleviate it painlessly.

 

“You’re tense. I can tell that you’ve been tense for a long time. How often do you rest and relax?”

 

“Not often. Too many war meetings. If I’m not there, I could miss something vital.”

 

“I see. Then, take this moment to let yourself unwind,” Yunan said, his voice soft as a summer breeze. “Would you like to hear a story?”

 

“Yes, please, as long as I can wash your hair,” Koumei said, his eyes half closed. Yunan turned around, and Koumei set to work with the long blond locks. He ran shampoo through Yunan’s hair, as the Magi told him a story about summer, and an adventure he had had a long time ago, in ages past, just before the Reim Empire had come to be. He had met a young lady who he knew was special, but he had no idea who she was or why she was special in his eyes. He later found out that that lady was Scheherezade. After meeting her, she had met her first King’s Candidate, and took him through a dungeon. Yunan had smiled when they met again after. He talked about how he had tried to hide his sadness, but was unable to.

 

“Sadness? About what?” Koumei asked, turning his head slightly to see Yunan. There was the tiniest trace of morose in Yunan’s eyes.

 

“About my own Candidate. He didn’t die, not until later, but he did… kill a lot of people.”

 

“Did he?” Koumei didn’t seem terribly convinced that this was such a bad thing for Yunan specifically. It must have sucked, knowing that his King was a tyrant, but it had been before the Reim Empire. Surely he had gotten over it by now.

 

“Yes, including me.” The room was silent for a moment. Then Koumei turned and faced Yunan directly, brow furrowed.

 

“That’s impossible. This entire story is impossible.”

 

“It’s the truth. This really happened. I chose my King’s Candidate by instinct, and years later, he killed me. When I went to the Sacred Palace, I was told that I could not go on to the Great Flow, because that would create an opening for an organization I believe you’re familiar with,” Yunan said, his voice dropping to a whisper. He looked around carefully for any sign of eavesdroppers, of _her_ , but found none. Koumei’s eyes widened.

 

“You mean Al Thamen?” he whispered back. Yunan nodded.

 

“They corrupted my King without my knowledge, and every time I was resurrected, continued to succeed in doing so. This is my ninth life, and I have chosen to stay in the Great Rift, except when the Rukh tell me that it’s time for another dungeon to appear.”

 

“You have a King’s Candidate now, don’t you? You chose Sinbad yourself.”

 

“I did, and I stay away from him for the express purpose of staying alive.” Yunan laughed humorlessly. “It’s a selfish thing to do. If I had stayed near him, perhaps I could have kept him from being corrupted by Al Thamen. As it is, the blame rests partly on me for what happened to his country the first time.”

 

“You feel responsible for that?”

 

“I do.” Yunan stared at the water, watching his reflection as it twisted and shimmered. His face… this face that he had had for the past few centuries had done many things, said many things, and he regretted many of those things.

 

“I’m sorry,” Koumei said. Yunan looked at him, surprised.

 

“For what?”

 

“That you had to go through all of that. This is your ninth life?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“Then, you’ve died eight times. And always to your King’s Candidate?”

 

“Also correct.”

 

“I won’t,” Koumei said resolutely.

 

“What?”

 

“I may have a djinn, and be a metal vessel user, but I’m not your Candidate. I won’t kill you. As long as you stay by me, I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t die.” He didn’t know what he was saying. It was ridiculous, to think that this Magi would accept his invitation. He didn’t even know what he meant by it. What kind of request is it, to ask someone to stay with you forever like that?

 

“That’s very kind of you. I’ll accept that offer,” Yunan said. He chuckled. “I suppose this means I’ll be visiting more often?”

 

“Yes, I suppose it will,” Koumei said, trying to keep his cool. He had finished washing Yunan’s already silky hair, and set to work on his shoulders.

 

“Tell me, Koumei. I haven’t had an… acquaintance like this in a long time. What would you expect from… future encounters?” Yunan paused awkwardly in his sentences, looking for the right word to put into the sentence to convey his meaning more clearly. He wasn’t sure the two of them were even friends yet, despite bathing together. ‘Hanging out’ seemed too casual for such a place, but ‘meeting’ was too formal for such casual get-togethers.

 

He was at a loss.

 

Koumei, on the other hand, had misinterpreted his meaning. ‘Acquaintance’ and ‘future encounters’ had been singled out in his mind, and he felt like he was going to explode. How long had he been attracted to men? Was it always this way?

 

Had he been attracted like this to Hakuren?

 

That line of thinking was immediately quashed. There was no way he was going down any sort of path like that, especially when he knew the answer: hell no. He had never found himself attracted to his own family.

 

Yunan, however…

 

And it made him think of Chu’un. The man had a nice physique, and Koumei started questioning how much of his time observing his household vessel practice had really been to study his technique.

 

“Um… not here? At least, not again, any time soon. This happened unexpectedly.” This was all unexpected. Koumei gulped, hoping that the heat rushing to his face could be misconstrued as being from the bath.

 

The water was getting cold.

 

“I agree. Next time, we should meet somewhere darker, and quiet. There’s a library here, yes?”

 

“Yes, there is. I spend a lot of my time there, either reading or holding meetings.”

 

“I see. Then we can meet there. I’ll be sure to catch you when you’re not too busy,” Yunan said, smiling. As Koumei returned the smile, he faced the prince and leaned forward, getting close to his face. This was it. This was the moment where he met his destiny head-on! If Yunan was really meant to get closer to this man, then he was going to get closer to him.

 

“But I do want to bathe with you again.”

 

Koumei fainted into the bath.

 

 

 

“Koumei!?” Yunan cried. He had been somewhat out of touch with the world for awhile, but there was one thing he was certain of: humans can’t breathe underwater. He pulled Koumei out hastily, using a water spell to clear out his lungs.

 

Koumei coughed, and the water that he had breathed in left his system. Yunan laid him gently against the side of the tub, where his body slipped down toward the water.

 

“No, no, no, that’s not going to happen,” Yunan muttered, propping Koumei up again. He slid down. Again. Yunan pursed his lips. Clearly, this was not going to happen as he had planned.

 

Instead, he laid Koumei against him, holding the prince up and waiting for him to awaken. It didn’t take too long, just a few minutes.

 

Koumei’s eyes opened slowly, and he looked around in confusion before remembering what Yunan had said to him. Blood rushed to his cheeks. At that time, he realized that there was an arm around his waist, and legs next to his, and that meant that Yunan was probably holding him. He looked to the side. Yunan was holding him.

 

_Oh god, Yunan was holding him._

 

In an instant, Koumei extricated himself and slid away, maintaining some distance.

 

“I’m glad you’re awake. I was worried when you went under,” Yunan said.

 

“Sorry for worrying you,” Koumei replied, glancing over. His eyes wandered quickly down Yunan’s body and oh, right, he’s a guy too, isn’t he? Staring a hole into the wall, Koumei breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. He thought he heard Yunan chuckle again, but he wasn’t sure.

 

“It’s alright. I did remove the water from your lungs, so you should be fine.”

 

“… Thank you.” The door opened just as Koumei finished saying so, and Chu’un came inside.

 

“Master, your --- who is this!?” Koumei whipped around in time to see Chu’un stalk toward the bath, clearly ready to fight. Yunan screeched and made for the far side of the bath as quickly as possible.

 

“This is the Magi of the Great Rift, Yunan. He came by to say hello,” Koumei explained calmly. Chu’un looked from the intruder to his master, then back and forth again. Finally, he bowed.

 

“Prince Kouha is here. His campaign was successful.”

 

“That’s good. I’m ready to leave, anyway. I’ll be there to greet him soon.” Koumei climbed out of the bath, hoping that Chu’un would have the decency to turn around. He did. That meant that he didn’t notice the building erection Koumei was trying to kill.

 

Pulling on his clothes, Koumei left the bathroom to see his younger brother. Once Chu’un had also left, Yunan climbed out himself. He picked up the ribbon that Koumei used to tie up his hair, forgotten on the bathroom floor.

 

“My, my. He ought have this back. I wonder if I can get it back to him without anyone noticing.” He put his own clothes on, flicking the dirt off expertly first. Then he hopped on his staff and lifted into the air.

 

It had certainly been a fun adventure, getting to the palace and spending time with Koumei. The man was different from Sinbad in so many ways. Yunan wondered what their next adventure would be.

 

“Brother Mei!” shouted a voice. Yunan followed it, recognizing the name, more or less. He watched from behind a corner as Koumei, with his hair wet and falling against his back, greeted a shorter and younger man with pink hair. That was most likely Prince Kouha.

 

They looked related. That would make sense. Princes of the same kingdom were generally related.

 

“Kouha. How are you?”

 

“I’m doing great! The campaign was a total success! I went over to talk some sense into their leader, and as soon as he saw our troops marching toward him, he surrendered. No bloodshed at all!”

 

“You must have been disappointed.”

 

“I slashed a couple people when he wouldn’t agree to our terms.”

 

“I see. Minimal casualties, then. Big brother will be happy.” Yunan cocked his head at that. There was a third one. He remembered hearing that while in the Rift. The eldest, and holder of three djinn, Ren Kouen.

 

While the people below were distracted, Yunan drifted along the ceiling, in an attempt to get Koumei’s ribbon back to him. Once he was overhead, he did something very dangerous. He dropped the ribbon directly onto Koumei’s head.

 

He flew off as soon as it was out of his hand, of course. That made it slightly less dangerous.

 

“What the fuck?” he heard behind him. It sounded like little Kouha’s voice.

 

Koumei watched the white ribbon fall into his eyes, pulling it off his head to examine it further. This was definitely what he used to tie his hair. Gathering his hair with one hand, he pulled it back until the shorter locks that usually fell over his shoulders did so. Then he started at the top and wrapped the ribbon over his hair until there was none left, tying it with years of practice.

 

It was such an automatic process that, if it hadn’t been for the strangeness of how the ribbon returned to him, Koumei doubted he would have noticed.

 

Yunan, meanwhile, took a few minutes to get his own hair braided again.

 

“What are you doing here?” another voice asked him from the side. There were a _lot_ of people in this place.

 

“I was sent here by the Rukh,” Yunan replied, looking over. A boy with black puffy hair sat next to him. It should have been impossible, but he was a Magi, that was obvious. A little bit of air magic would be nothing.

 

“Is that so? How about a magic duel?” There was a wicked grin on the boy’s face. Yunan returned his smile more wistfully. He remembered someone similar to this person, from a past life. It was… his sixth? It felt like his sixth, when that life’s Candidate had had a best friend who liked to fight.

 

“Perhaps another time. For now, I think my time here is up. I will be back. We could duel then, if you wish. Ah,” Yunan said, his exclamation aimed at the appearance of an unwanted visitor.

 

“Great. The bitch is coming,” the other Magi muttered. He drifted down to the floor. Yunan took the opportunity to slip away before the ‘bitch’ could find him. If she did, then his resurrections would be for naught.

 

He had a feeling, though, that the two of them would meet again.

 

That feeling extended to, or perhaps sourced from, Koumei.

**Author's Note:**

> if you'd like more of this pairing, i will write more. i'll most likely write more regardless, but it'd be cool to see what people want from this :D


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